Introduction
Alvester Martin is the birth name of American actor, dancer, model, and singer Skyh Black, a performer who has built a career across several areas of the entertainment industry. Born in Miami, Florida, Martin began developing his passion for dance as a child and eventually worked professionally with major music artists before moving into acting. Today, he is widely recognized by the professional name Skyh Black, particularly for his roles in Sistas and All the Queen’s Men.
His career is notable because it did not follow a simple path. Martin trained in classical dance, performed as a backup dancer, pursued music, experienced periods of financial hardship, and eventually transitioned into television and film acting. His professional journey also includes appearances in movies, reality television, music videos, and scripted drama series. This article explores Alvester Martin’s background, education, dance career, acting work, music, and personal life while focusing on information documented by entertainment sources.
Who Is Alvester Martin?
Alvester Martin is best known today as Skyh Black. His birth name is listed as Alvester Martin, while some biographical sources also use the name Alvester Martin III. He was born on February 16, 1988, in Miami, Florida, United States. His professional occupations have included acting, dancing, modeling, singing, and producing.
Martin became particularly recognized after joining the cast of BET+’s All the Queen’s Men, where he plays Amp “Addiction” Anthony. Before that role, however, he had already developed a substantial background in professional dance and had appeared in a number of television and film productions.
His earlier career included work connected to artists such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Mariah Carey. That experience gave him exposure to large-scale entertainment productions before he established himself more firmly as an actor.
The name Alvester Martin is therefore important when researching Skyh Black because it represents the beginning of the career that eventually led to his current professional identity.
Alvester Martin’s Early Life in Miami
Martin was born and raised in Miami, Florida, and biographical accounts state that he was raised by his grandparents. His interest in dance reportedly began when he was around three years old. Michael Jackson’s performances and music videos were an early influence on him, helping spark his interest in becoming a performer. (Wikipedia)
His childhood interest eventually developed into serious training. He attended the New World School of the Arts in Miami and later studied at the School of American Ballet in New York. His training gave him experience in classical dance and helped establish the technical foundation that would later become important in his professional career. (Wikipedia)
His training also connected him with the professional dance world at a young age. An Essence interview about his career describes his experiences moving between Miami, New York, and professional dance opportunities before eventually arriving in Los Angeles. (Essence)
This background helps explain why dance became such an important part of his early professional identity. Although he later became known primarily as an actor, dance remained one of the foundations of his entertainment career.
His Career as a Professional Dancer
Before becoming widely known for television acting, Alvester Martin worked as a professional dancer. His career included performing alongside major recording artists, including Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Mariah Carey.
Working as a professional backup dancer required extensive preparation, physical discipline, and the ability to perform in large productions. Martin’s experience eventually included high-profile entertainment events and music-related projects.
His dance career was not always financially secure, however. In interviews, he has spoken about periods when his circumstances changed dramatically. Essence reported that he had worked as a valet at the West Hollywood EDITION while trying to rebuild his career, despite previously working professionally as a dancer.
In another interview with Distractify, Martin discussed experiencing homelessness and financial difficulties during his transition into acting. These experiences became an important part of the story he has publicly shared about his career.
His professional dance background ultimately became an advantage when he began pursuing acting roles that required physical performance and confidence in front of the camera.
Connection to Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson played an important inspirational role in Martin’s early interest in dance. According to biographical accounts, Martin watched Jackson’s videos as a child and became fascinated by his performances.
Years later, Martin appeared in Jackson’s posthumously released music video “A Place with No Name.” The 2014 project featured newly filmed dancers alongside imagery connected with Jackson. His participation created a meaningful connection between one of his childhood inspirations and his professional dance career.
The project was particularly notable because Martin had already established himself as a professional dancer before becoming more involved in acting. His work on the video became one of the recognizable elements of his dance résumé.
The experience also formed part of his transition toward acting. According to the biographical account of his career, choreographer and actress Debbie Allen encouraged him to explore acting after seeing his performance.
The Transition From Dance to Acting
Moving from dance into acting was not an overnight change for Martin. In interviews, he has explained that he initially had ambitions connected to music and performance, but acting gradually became another direction for his career.
His meeting with Debbie Allen became especially important. In an interview with Distractify, Martin described how Allen encouraged him to become an actor even though acting had not originally been his primary goal. He subsequently began taking acting classes and exploring the craft more seriously.
The transition came after difficult professional experiences. Martin had already reached important milestones as a dancer but also described the emotional and practical challenges that came with pursuing that career. Acting eventually gave him a new creative outlet.
His story illustrates how his different skills developed together. Dance provided his initial entry into entertainment, while acting allowed him to expand his career beyond performance as a dancer.
Alvester Martin in Movies and Television
Martin’s screen career includes both film and television projects. His film credits include Center Stage, Stomp the Yard, Leave It on the Floor, and Footloose. Later projects included Kinky, Beauty Mark, South Central Love, Stranger Next Door, Love, Marry, Kill, Christmas Angel, and A Haitian Wedding.
His television credits have also grown over time. TV Guide lists appearances in Vivica’s Black Magic, Tales, Hello Cupid 3.0, The Chadwick Journals, Stuck with You, Lucifer, Black Monday, Sistas, Lace, and All the Queen’s Men.
These credits show the gradual expansion of his career. His earliest screen work was closely connected to dance, while later productions gave him increasingly substantial acting roles.
His appearance in Vivica’s Black Magic was another notable stage in this development. The Lifetime reality series followed an all-male dance group created by Vivica A. Fox, and Martin appeared as himself during the show’s first season.
Sistas and All the Queen’s Men
One of Martin’s important television roles came in Tyler Perry’s Sistas. From 2020 to 2021, he played Jacobi, a recurring character and love interest connected to Novi Brown’s character. TV Guide lists the role among his television credits.
His career expanded further in 2021 when he joined BET+’s All the Queen’s Men as Amp “Addiction” Anthony. The role became one of the most recognizable parts of his acting career.
The series follows Madam DeVille, played by Eva Marcille, and the world surrounding her nightclub business and employees. Martin’s character has a complicated background and becomes involved in the nightclub’s environment. BlackFilm described Amp as Madam’s nephew with a hidden past who enters the nightclub world after having difficulty finding employment.
IMDb currently lists Martin’s All the Queen’s Men credit as spanning 2021–2026, with dozens of episodes associated with the role.
The series helped establish Skyh Black as a recognizable television actor and moved his career well beyond his earlier work as a dancer.
Music Career and Alv3ster
Although dance and acting became the most visible parts of his career, Martin has also pursued music. He used the name Alv3ster for his music career and released the R&B single “Overdose” in 2016.
Music was not simply a later interest. Interviews about his career indicate that he had considered music as an important professional direction before acting became his primary focus. His singing background and experience performing gave him another way to express himself creatively.
His career therefore includes several connected forms of entertainment: dance, singing, modeling, acting, and production. Rather than being known for only one discipline, Martin has continued to move between different areas of the entertainment business.
Personal Life and Marriage to KJ Smith
Skyh Black’s personal life has also received attention because of his relationship with actress KJ Smith, whom he met while working on Sistas. The two eventually began a relationship and married in September 2023.
Their relationship has attracted attention partly because both are actors who have worked in television. Their professional connection began around Sistas, where Smith was already an established member of the cast.
The couple later welcomed their daughter, Pryde JaNea Smith, in 2025, according to entertainment biographies.
Martin has generally kept the focus of his public career on acting and entertainment, although interviews have also allowed him to discuss personal challenges and his journey through difficult periods.
Alvester Martin’s Career Today
The name Alvester Martin remains closely connected to the performer now professionally known as Skyh Black. His career has developed from childhood dance training in Miami into professional work with major recording artists, music, reality television, film, scripted television, and production.
His television work on All the Queen’s Men represents an important part of his current professional identity. IMDb lists the series among his major credits and continues to associate him with the role of Amp “Addiction” Anthony.
His later film work has also expanded his responsibilities. On Love, Marry, Kill, he was credited not only as an actor but also as a co-executive producer, while A Haitian Wedding lists him as an executive producer.
This development demonstrates how his career has expanded beyond performing alone. His experience in dance, acting, and entertainment production has allowed him to take on different roles behind and in front of the camera.
Conclusion
Alvester Martin, professionally known as Skyh Black, has developed a diverse entertainment career that began with dance and eventually expanded into acting, music, modeling, and production. Born in Miami in 1988, he developed an interest in dance during childhood and later received formal training in Miami and New York.
His professional dance career brought opportunities to work with major artists such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Mariah Carey. His appearance in Michael Jackson’s “A Place with No Name” became another notable chapter in his career and connected him with one of his earliest artistic inspirations.
After facing professional and financial challenges, Martin transitioned into acting with encouragement from Debbie Allen. He gradually built a screen résumé through projects including Sistas, Lace, Black Monday, Stranger Next Door, and All the Queen’s Men.
His journey from Alvester Martin to Skyh Black demonstrates how a career can develop through several different forms of performance. Today, his best-known work is associated with television acting, particularly All the Queen’s Men, while his earlier experience as a dancer remains an important foundation of his professional story
